Dehydrated Banana Chips
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These dehydrated banana chips taste like candy! Dried banana chips are an addictive gluten-free, vegan snack. They’re so easy to make in the oven or the dehydrator.
Homemade banana chips are a great substitute for sugary desserts. They’re very easy to make, and you’ll wonder how they could possibly be good for you when you bite into one. Dehydrated bananas are chewy and sweet, so they’re basically like candy.
This recipe shows how you can use an oven or a dehydrator to make dried banana chips. These are great for snacking, and you can also use these dehydrated banana chips to make homemade banana Larabars.
How to Dehydrate Bananas in the Oven
Thinly slice the bananas (¼ inch thickness or less is ideal), and arrange them in a single layer on the lightly oiled baking sheets. Use olive oil, coconut oil, avocado oil, or cooking spray to grease the baking sheets. Coconut oil will give them a slightly tropical flavor.
Cook the bananas in the oven for about 3 hours, until they are dehydrated but not rock solid. They should be flat and thin.
You may be able to remove the dehydrated banana chips from the baking sheets with a metal spatula, but I find it easier to just peel them off by hand. Transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely before storing.
How to Make Banana Chips in a Dehydrator
To make dried banana chips in a dehydrator, you won’t need to use any oil. Simply layer the banana slices on the trays in your dehydrator and cook them at 135 degrees for about 8 hours for chewy dehydrated banana chips. Keep an eye on them for the last couple hours so you can remove them from the dehydrator tray when they reach the texture you want.
Grab a handful of these dehydrated banana chips when your sweet tooth hits, or stir them into a bowl of homemade granola.
Dehydrated Banana Chip Tips and Frequently Asked Questions
The key to getting a good batch of dehydrated banana chips is to cut the fresh bananas into uniformly thin slices. I aim for ¼ inch thickness at most, but if you cut them a little thicker, that’ll work, too. It will just take a bit longer for them to dehydrate.
In the oven, it takes about 3 hours to dehydrate bananas at 175 degrees. It takes about 8 hours in the dehydrator for chewy banana chips.
Banana chips can be either chewy or crispy depending on how long you dehydrate them. A longer cook time will yield crispier chips, and a shorter time will leave them a bit chewy if some of the moisture is left in the chips. Keep an eye on the bananas as they’re dehydrating, and remove them from the oven or dehydrator once they’ve reached the crispness you prefer.
For storage, I recommend placing them in an airtight container and storing them in a cool, dry place at room temperature for up to two weeks. You can also freeze them and they’ll last for several months.
For more delicious fruity snacks, try my homemade apple chips, dehydrated strawberries, and oat flour banana bread.
Dehydrated Banana Chips
Equipment
- Dehydrator (optional)
- Baking sheet (optional)
Ingredients
- 2 tsp. olive oil (or coconut oil, avocado oil)
- 4 ripe bananas
Instructions
Oven Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 175 degrees, and lightly coat 2 cookie sheets with the oil.
- Thinly slice the bananas (¼ inch thickness or less is ideal), and arrange them in a single layer on the baking sheets.
- Cook the bananas in the oven for about 3 hours, until they are dehydrated but not rock solid. They should be flat and thin. Depending on your oven and the thickness of your banana slices, you may need an extra 30 to 60 minutes.
- Carefully remove the banana chips from the baking sheets by gently peeling them off. Transfer them to a cooling rack, and let them cool completely before storing. These banana chips can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for about two weeks.
Dehydrator Instructions
- To make dried banana chips in a dehydrator, you won’t need to use any oil. Thinly slice the bananas (¼ inch thickness or less is ideal).
- Layer the banana slices on the trays in your dehydrator and cook them at 135 degrees for about 8 hours for chewy dehydrated banana chips. Keep an eye on them for the last couple hours so you can remove them from the dehydrator tray when they reach the texture you want.
- Let the banana chips cool completely before storing in an airtight container for two weeks.
Nutrition
Price Breakdown
This recipe yields 2 cups of dehydrated banana chips, and it costs $1.23 to make. This comes out to $.21 per 1/3 cup serving. Try this recipe the next time your sweet tooth hits.
Note: This recipe was originally posted in 2013, and it was updated in 2022.
Will try dehydrating bananas in the oven. Takes too long in the dehydrator and very cumbersome. We have found that storage in jars does not work as the bananas become chewy.
This last batch we did, we put in the refrig then in bags in the freezer. Stays crispy. Thanks for posting this recipe
Great idea to store them in the freezer! I’ll have to try that.